The first dolphins in the history of Kyrgyzstan have been brought to Bishkek.

A valuable cargo was welcomed in Bishkek: for the first time in the history of Kyrgyzstan, live dolphins and one beluga whale were brought here. The mammals will soon delight the residents and guests of the capital for several months with the support of the city administration.

However, many citizens oppose the construction of a dolphinarium. They are guided not only by the belief that breeders will not be able to provide adequate conditions for the animals, but also by the notion that keeping a dolphinarium is inhumane in principle. Scientists equate dolphins to humans due to their intelligence and social organization; in India, they have even been recognized as "non-human persons," and in many countries—such as the USA, Brazil, and Costa Rica—it is prohibited to keep cetaceans in captivity. To stop the opening of the dolphinarium, civic activists have created an online petition to submit to the head of state, Almazbek Atambayev.

- We ask you to ban mobile dolphinariums in Kyrgyzstan. All countries in the world, except for Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, and Indonesia, have rejected this cruel business because the conditions for keeping marine mammals during transportation do not meet any standards. In many countries, not only mobile dolphinariums are banned, but also stationary ones. More and more countries are concluding that keeping such highly intelligent and social animals as dolphins is simply inhumane and unacceptable in modern civilized society. By capturing dolphins for dolphinariums, humans deprive them of the most important things in life—family and freedom. We ask you to consider this issue and make the only right decision. Do not allow the development of this harsh industry in your country; join the ranks of countries that have rejected cruelty. Mobile dolphinariums are the epitome of cruelty, - the document states. - Please stop this cruelty in your country! It is within your power! People will be grateful to you! Dolphins will be infinitely grateful to you! The initiative to close mobile dolphinariums, coming from the citizens of Kyrgyzstan, is supported by animal protection organizations and marine mammal specialists. A dolphinarium is a death sentence for mammals!

About 500 signatures are needed to send the petition to the president. Protests in the form of pickets and rallies by animal rights defenders are also planned on social media. However, the objects of protection have already arrived in Bishkek: a video has appeared online showing one of the guests—the beluga—being unloaded from a crane into a pool.